What is Valued: The Job Interview as a Field of Evaluation and Candidates as Future Investment

• In Event: 308 - Section on Sociology of Sex and Gender Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 10. Gender, Work and Family: Session III

Abstract

This study looks at job interviews from a different sociological perspective compared to the current research in the field. I look at economic theories of value and combine them with organizational research in order to create a connection between the value of goods, and the value of employees in labor organization. I explore this value attribution by using qualitative data in the form of job interview summaries of over 2000 candidates I am able, through content analysis to determine whet is considered valuable to the organization studied both as a strength and a weakness of the potential employee. I argue that within the job interview process many factors are taken into account in the consideration of a valuable employee, but those differ for men and women, as well as by department. And I will show this, using a content analysis methodology.

Author

• Miri Eliyahu, Northwestern University